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Hi, can you tell me what a Starter Card is? Are these cards that will accept anybody?
How do I find out which cards are starter cards? Should I be applying for cards like these if I'm rebuilding my credit - starting over with a two year old credit history.
Should I also be opening secure cards as a beginner?
Starter cards can mean any number of things, for example, a store card only good at that specific store/website, a gas card, a secured major credit card (Mastercard, Visa), a student card with a very low initial credit limit, and so on.
Each card will have its own criteria for deciding who gets approved, and for how much.
You mentioned that you're rebuilding, and have a 2-year credit history. If you'd give us more details, we might be able to suggest specific cards that have a good chance of approval. Why are you rebuilding--was there a bankruptcy? charge-offs? collections? What credit do you currently have? And where are they in the two year time-frame?
Thank you, I had a charge off decades ago but my activity remained stalled indefinitely... To make a long story short I was in an abusive situation for many years, dealing with severe depression and didn't have control over my finances - severe control & financial abuse. When I finally got out I had to start from scratch and build from scratch. I was denied for credit cards cause apparently I had no credit history - it was erased after a certain number of years. So I started with a secured card and did the best I could for the first year and a half. Then I discovered Fingerhut and was happy I got approved.
My current cards are:
- Capital One Secured Card
* $500 Limit
- Capital One Walmart Rewards
* $300 Limit
- Quicksilver by Capital One
* $1,000 Limit
- Fingerhut
* $1,500 Limit
- Self Credit Card
* $100 Limit
- KikOff Credit Card (Credit Builder Account)
* $500 Limit
- Victorias Secret Credit Card
* $200 Limit
- Overstock Credit Card
* $250 Limit
Since I had to buy new stuff for my life - just the basics like towels and furniture - two of my Capital One cards are maxed out while I pay them down. My other cards are below 30% utilization and Fingerhut keeps raising my limit pretty steadily.
I recently received pre-approvals for Bob's Discount ($1000 Limit) and Brylane Home ($350 Limit). I just learned about utilization a few months ago so I'm working to fix my situation and any credit card I have will be managed below the 30% mark even down to 1%.
Should I apply for the Bobs and Brylane Home cards if I will be responsible enough to manage the utilization correctly? I have never missed a payment over the two years. And I have one installment loan from Self (as well as a credit card) which is really a Certificate of Deposit paid over two years for $450 - though I saw on Youtube someone say you need a minimum of two installment loans for good credit.
I also want to open a secured card from Citi and Discover to prove I can manage credit well from these companies as I am not eligible to receive unsecured cards from them.
Would love some tips or advice or what credit subjects to learn and study. ☺ I still have a lot to learn.
Welcome to the forums and I applaud your courage and progress on starting a new life! I know that is difficult!
you have plenty of credit cards now so you shouldn't take out cards just to pad utilization. It will appear as credit seeking... especially if your goal is to get secured cards with Citi and Discover. New cards lowers the age of your accounts and the inquiries (assuming that they do them) also will look bad.
Do have a parent or grandparent (even if they are deceased) that was in the military? If so, you qualify for Navy Federal Credit Union membership and that should be your next step.
Discover also has a prequalification site that will tell you whether you would be approved without the hard pull. Finally, if you are on the east coast, you would also probably qualify for TD Bank's secured card.
If you focus on the bigger banks or credit unions where you can build history, you'll quickly move past starter cards and into mainstream cards that you'll use and keep for years to come.
Im sure others will chime in but wanted to start you out with my thoughts.
FWIW, it sounds like you are off to a good start based on the prequals you are getting. Now focus on mainstream lenders to continue your build!
Good luck!
ETA: you only need 3 credit cards and 1 installment loan for optimal Fico scoring. There is a lot of misinformation on YouTube... your best bet is to hang out here, ask questions and listen to those who have successfully done rebuilds. You'll get information that is directly relevant to YOUR profile and not aimed at getting eyeballs and ad impressions!
@Anonymous
One more thing... assuming you have had your overstock card for 6 weeks or more, try logging into your account and ask for a credit limit increase (CLI) and you migh bet a large one which will help your overall utilization and will only be a soft pull.
I got my Overstock in January with a starting limit of 600 bucks... that was doubled in February. Now it is up to 4700.00. You ask for a CLI every 61 days and it will grow. Even set reminders on your calendar to keep track and continue to grow the cards.
Thank you so much! I'll follow this advice!
@Anonymous wrote:Thank you so much! I'll follow this advice!
A few additional comments:
Thank you, I will definitely look into the secured share loan. I have an installment loan from a Self Credit Builder account but would be happy to do more research on the subject.
@Anonymous wrote:Thank you, I will definitely look into the secured share loan. I have an installment loan from a Self Credit Builder account but would be happy to do more research on the subject.
I am unfamiliar with the Self account, that may do the trick depending upon how it reports.
You dont need a SSL if you have a Self loan.... may want to switch to a SSL at some point after the self loan is over though..
-J